Time
by ParaCaerOuVoar
Summary: Time. Time heals all. So why did he have to die? And why does it still hurt?


Time

I want to apologise in advance if you think this is terrible, but I just wrote it on a whim. I have also posted this in both the Miami and NY sections, as I didn't know which one it would be better suited to. This is also the first time I've written for Calleigh, so I hope I managed to get her right. Please r&r, reviews make me happy.

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_Time. Time healed all. So why did he have to die? And why does it still hurt?_

A single gun shot, a cry of pain, heartstrings tugging as Calleigh watched the one man she had ever loved die in her arms.

Moving to the New York Crime lab had been both a blessing and a curse. She had left her friends behind, but she had found a soul mate and best friend in sarcastic CSI Danny Messer.

When they met they were both broken, Calleigh having lost a close friend, Speed, and Danny having lost Flack, the one person he had ever bared his soul to, the man who was practically his brother. And so they talked. Talked about friends and love, and fate.

Fate was a cruel mistress, and the Earth was full of her servants.

The Gods played dice with the lives of men, and it was fate's turn.

Fate rolled a six.

_2005, Oct 15__th_

It was a balmy autumn afternoon, and the wind was still. People everywhere were lulled into a false sense of security, as they strolled to work and home, watching children play in the streets, vendors peddling their wares. No one noticed the blond man walking briskly through the crowds, a man with a purpose, a man with a destination.

A shot rang out, shattering a shop window, the crowd ducked as one, and the blond man pulled out a gun. He was joined by a slim blonde woman, who also drew her gun. Glass was falling like a crystal waterfall as they approached the broken window.

Danny gestured to Calleigh, indicating that she should stay behind, before cautiously moving towards the dark abyss. He clambered over the broken glass, careful not to cut himself, and moved into the darkness. Calleigh hung back, tensed like a coiled spring. Another shot. A cry from inside, a cry of surprise, not pain. The sounds of a scuffle, cursing, before a triumphant yell from Danny. He appeared from the shadows, limping slightly, but alive and grinning, his slate eyes dancing, dragging a handcuffed man behind him. Blood dripped from a small cut above his eye.

Then the world went grey. Danny dropped, like a sack of flour dropped by a careless baker, a wine red stain spreading over his heart. And the world died again for Calleigh. She dropped her gun and ran to Danny. He was lying face down in the broken glass. She rolled him over, and a cry escaped from her lips. She couldn't go trough this again, and was transported back to Miami, back to when Speed died.

And in that instance, she understood how Horatio felt when he watched Speed die in his arms. She cradled Danny's head in her arms, calling for EMS on her radio. He tried to speak, but blood bubbled on the corner of his lips.

It was rush hour in New York City, and EMS took over half an hour to arrive. And for that 30 minutes, Calleigh was living the nightmare that had haunted her ever since Speed died. When he died, a piece of her died as well, and she didn't think she could survive the size of the piece that would wither up and die with Danny's death.

31 minutes after being shot, Danny drew a breath, his final breath. And in this breath he thought of everything. He thought of his friends, his brother, lying in a hospital somewhere. He thought of Calleigh. He had found a soul mate in Calleigh, and she was the only thing that kept him fighting this long. He even thought of Flack. He loved Flack, to him, Flack was family. He thought of how Flack had looked out for him, but when he died, he'd had to look out for himself. And now he was joining him.

Calleigh heard the death rattle, and that sound terrified her more than anything. More than the sound of a gun being cocked against her head, more than the sound of Stetler's voice floating down the hall. She looked into his eyes, and watched as the life in him dimmed. His beautiful grey eyes misted over, the laughter forever gone. She cradled his head and cried, cried as she hadn't done before. She cried until tears were no longer running down her face, and they were empty sobs, echoing in an empty apartment. She had understood when she joined the force not to form close friendships, that friendship was a fleeting thing, so easily crushed, like a butterfly. But this time she couldn't help it. Danny had invited her into his heart, and she had locked herself in and thrown away the key.

_2015, Oct 15__th_

A gravestone. Simple, alone, slate. The colour of his eyes. Calleigh stood there, a single red rose in her hand. She lowered it to the grave, and left. Just like every year. She stood in the street. It was rush hour, and she was being jostled around like a bag of groceries. She didn't understand how she could be surrounded by a sea of people and still feel like the only one in the room.

The rain began, falling from the sky. It spattered on her cheek, making her think of blood, making her think of Danny.

Ten years, and still the wound was raw. The doctors and the psychiatrists and the counsellors told her that it would take time.

Time. Time healed all. So why did he die? And why did it still hurt?


End file.
